Machine for



(No Model.)

0. A. WRIGHT.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING METALLIC LEAP TO CARDS 0R SIMILAR ARTICLES. No.461,861. Patented 00t.2'7, 1891.

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q Offinwses: 664 l 269 "r: .62.200 zwz r W' W UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CHARLES A. IVRIGIIIK OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING METALLIC LEAF TO CARDS OR SIMILAR ARTICLES. 7

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 461,861, dated October2'7, 1891.

Application filed April 3, 1891. Serial No. 387,474. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'l, CHARLES A. \VRIGHT, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvem entin Machines for Applyi n g Metallic Leaf to Cards or Similar Articles,of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to machines for applying metallic leaf tocards and similar articles; and it consists of certain improvementswhich are fully set forth in the following specification and shown inthe accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine which shall operatequickly and positively for applying gold or other leaf to cards or otherarticles. IIeretofore it has been the custom to cut the gold or metal insmall strips and apply it to the card or other material by hand eitherwhen working on the hot-press system or the system that requires thecard or material to have the size printed on and the'gold or other metalapplied and then embossed in a subsequent operation. In carrying onthese processes in the manufacture of cards for photographs and otherpurposes great loss has been experienced from three causes-to wit, lossof time in labor, loss of material, and needlessly large consumption ofmaterial for the particular operation.

The object of my invention is to overcome these defects, and inaccomplishing this I employ a machine which is automatic in deliveringthe gold or other leaf to a position to .be acted upon by the dies orpressure-applying devices in attaching the leaf to the card or otherarticle. In place of handling the gold-leaf by hand, as has heretoforebeen the case, I employ frames having stretched across them Wires,cords, or strands of any suitable material, arranged at intervals apart,and which directly or through the application of a size are adapted toadhere to the gold-leaf When pressed upon it. This frame, with the leaf,is then placed in the machine and passed between the impression deviceor dies and the platen or support for the card or article to be gilded.It is moved under the impression device or dies after each operation,and this movement may either be by hand or by automatic devices, thelatter being preferable.

In carrying out my invention I may either apply a dry size to the cardand press the gold-leaf upon it by a hot metallic die or I may imprintupon the card the name or design in a size and then press the gold-leafupon the said impression by means of suitable pressure devices, or thegold-leaf may be impressed directly upon the card withoutsize.

My invention will bemore readily understood by an examination of theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of amachine embodying my invention, taken on line as 90 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 isa sectional plan view of same, taken on line 1 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of one of the gold-leaf-holding frames and itssupporting-guides, with a portion broken away at the front. Fig. 4 is anenlarged view of a portion of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a similar View of Fig. A of a modification.

A is the main frame of the press.

B is the platen.

O is the reciprocating head for carrying the die or pressure device F,and is reciprocated by an eccentric D. When the pressure device F is ofmetal and designed to impart a heavy pressure, it may be heated by meansof a hollow support E, in which a gas-jet burns in the Well-known mannerin use in embossing-presses.

. N are guides or rails upon which the frame II is adapted to slide.These rails are so arranged that a series of these slides maysuccessively follow one after the other, they being placed upon theguides or rails in the front of the machine and removed at the rear.

The frames H are made U shaped in plan view, having lateral projectionsat the top, upon its sides resting upon the guides or rails, and alsowith notches or ratchet-teeth h, corresponding in number to a series ofparallel stretched Wires, cords, or strands I, stretched transveselyacross the lower part of the frame H.

The frame H is intermittently moved from the front to the rear adistance corresponding to the distance between two adjacent transversewires or cords I after each impression of the die F, and this movementis performed by reciprocating pawls K, hinged to a transverse bar Z,connected to pivoted levers i the bar P.

L, which are oscillated by means of an eccentric M and spring L. Theframe Z is guided by means of a slotted bar P, extending forward andhaving a screw Q secured to a crossframe 0 and extending through theslot of (Best shown in Fig. 2.) This prevents the pawls K from slippingoff the ratchet-teeth h of the frame H.

G is a guide arranged upon the platen l3, and against which the card Ris placed to bring it in proper position to receive the goldleaf. Anysuitable form of guide maybe employed to correspond and properly adjustthe article to be gilded.

J represents the gold-leaf, which adheres to the under side of thetransverse wires, cords, &c., of the frame H.

In the operation of the machine the die F is reciprocated, and indescending presses the gold-leaf supported between two of the transversecords or wires I down upon the sized surface of the card R, resting uponthe platen with a pressure sufficient to impress the design or type uponthe surfaceof the card and at the same time impart a highly-finished andlustrous efi'ect to the gold. The transverse wires or cords I arearranged at a distance apart just suificient for the opera- Iion of thedie or impression device F, so that no gold-leaf is wasted. As theimpression-die ascends the eccentric M moves the lever I and through theaction of the pawls K draws the frame H backward a distancecorresponding to one of the teeth h and brings the die in position toact upon the gold-leaf supported between the next pair of cords orwires, and so on. As the die descends the pawl K is moved forward intothe next ratchet-teeth, and as the die ascends the said pawl draws theframe I-I back. In this manner the machine is automatic and delivers thegold-leaf in a positive,

' accurate, and quick manner into position to be applied to the card orother article to be gilded. As one frame H passes beneath the dieanother frame, with gold-leaf applied, is immediately placed upon therails or guides N and is automatically delivered through the machine, asin the case of the previous one. The bottom of the frame H is soarranged that the cords or wires I may be pressed directly upon a sheetof gold-leaf and be made to adhere thereto, so. as to support it in theproper position in the machine. Thisconstruction obviates the necessityfor cutting the gold-leaf by a knife or in anywise handling it, as washeretofore necessary.

While in practice it is preferable to employ a dry size upon the cardsand impress the gold-leaf upon the card by means of a heated metallicdie, yet in lieu thereof the size may be printed upon the card and thenthe goldleaf applied thereto by the employment of the modification shownin Fig. 5, or the size may be dispensed with altogether. In the case ofthe modification, in place of the hand metallic die F an impression F,of rubber or other material, is placed in the machine and presses thegold-leaf .I downupon the card, causing it to adhere to those portionsof the card that had been previously printed with the size. To present aconstantly-fresh surface to the gold-leaf, a tape of paper S may besupported upon two rollers F and U, one of which is provided withratchet-teeth and through the said ratchet-teeth and a springpawl WV,carried with the impression-die F, is made to intermittently rotateduring the upstroke of the die. By this means the die or impressiondevice F does not become coated upon the under surface with gold-leaf.

I donot confine myself to the mere details of construction of thedevices herein set out, as it is evident that they may be modified invarious ways without departing from the principles of my invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for applying metallic leaf, the combination of a supportfor the artlcle to be treated, a reciprocating impression device or die,and a movable holder for the me tallic leaf, arranged between thesupport for the article to be treated and the pressure device or die.

2. In a machine for applying metallic leaf, the combination of a supportfor the article to be treated, a reciprocating impression device or die,a movable holder for the metallic leaf, arranged between the support forthe article to be treated and the pressure device or die, and means tomove the said leaf-holder intermittently upon each reciprocation of theimpression device or die.

3. In a machine for applying metallic leaf, the combination of a supportfor the article to be treated, a reciprocating impression device or die,and a movable holder for the metallic leaf, arranged between the supportfor the article to be treated and the pressure device or die, consistingof a frame made open in the center and provided with transverse wires,cords, or other strands for supporting the metallic leaf.

4. In a machine for applying metallic leaf to cards and other articles,the combination of a support for the card or otherarticle, areciprocating impression device for pressing the leaf upon the card orother article, guides or rails arranged transversely to the movement ofthe pressure device, and a leaf-sup port guided upon the guides or railsbetween the impression device and support for the card or other article,and consisting of an open frame provided with transverse cords, wires,or other strands for supporting the metallic leaf.

5. In a machine for applying metallic leaf to cards and other articles,the combination of a support for the card or other article, areciprocating impression device for pressing the leaf upon the card orother article, guides or rails arranged transversely to the move ment ofthe pressure device, a leaf-support guided upon the guides or railsbetween the impression device and support for the card or other article,consisting of an open frame provided with transverse cords, wires, orother strands for supporting the metallic leaf, and power devices foralternately reciprocating the pressure-applying device andintermittently moving the leaf-support.

6. In a machine for applying metallic leaf to cards and other articles,the combination of a support for the card or other article, areciprocating impression device for pressing the leaf upon the card orother article, guides or rails arranged transversely to the movement ofthe pressure device, a leaf-support guided upon the guides or railsbetween the impression device and support for the card or other article,consisting of an open frame provided with transverse cords, wires, orother strands for supporting the metallic leaf and teeth at its upperpart, pawl mechanism operating in connection with the teeth forintermittently moving the leaf -support, and cam or eccentric devicesfor operating the pawl mechanism.

7. A leaf-support for gold-leaf, consisting of an open frame havingtransverse strands of wire or cord or equivalent material stretchedacross the opening in the frame for supporting the gold-leaf.

S. A support for gold-leaf, consisting of a U-shaped frame, combinedwith a series of parallel strands of wires, cord,or other material,arranged across the opening of the frame and at the bottom thereof, sothatthey may be pressed directly upon 'the gold-leaf.

9. Means to support gold or other leaf, consisting of two or morestrands of Wire or other suitable material, maintained in a stretchedcondition upon a suitable support.

10. A support for gold-leaf, consisting of a frame, combined withstrands of wire or cord or equivalent material stretched upon it andprojecting beyond the frame, adapted to support the gold-leaf duringtransfer from the g0ld-leaf book to the surface to be printed.

11. A support for gold-leaf, consisting of a frame, combined withstrands of wire or cord or equivalent material coated with size andstretched upon it and projecting beyond the frame, adapted to supportthe gold-leaf during transfer from the gold-leaf book to the surface tobe printed.

12. A support for gold-leaf, consisting of an open frame, combined withstrands of wire or other suitable material coated with size andstretched upon the frame and across'the open part thereof.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES A. XVRIGIIT.

W'itnesses:

R, M. HUNTER, ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER.

